Tamping-bar for tamping railway-ballast.



G. H. PRENTIGE. TAMPING BAR FOB TAMPING RAILWAY BALLAST.

APPLIUATIOI FILED AUG. 5, 1s1o.

I 973,563. Patented Oct. 25, 1910.-

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GEORGE H. PREN'I'IGE, 0F PAINESVILLE, (lHIO.

TAMPING-BAB FOR 'I'AMPING RAILWAY-BALLAST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1910.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Serial No. 575,661.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. PRENTIcE, a citizen of the United States of America residing at Painesville, in the county of Lake and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tamping-Bars for Tamping Railway-Ballast; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to. improvements in tamping bars for tamping railway-ballast composed of broken stone.

The primary object of this invention is to rovide a tamping bar with which railwayallast of the character indicated may be properly tamped with great facility and efficiency and which is especially well adapted for tamping broken stone under railwayties of the bed of a railway.

With this object in view, this invention consists in a tamping bar having the peculiarly contoured tamping head hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the main portion of a tam ing bar embodying my invention. Fig. 2 1s a left hand side view relative to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top plan relative to Fig. 1.

M improved tamping bar has an upright han le 5 which terminates, at its lower and forward end, in a flat head 6 employed in tam in railway-ballast. The said head is pre era the ham and projects not only ownward] and forwardly from the handle but latera ly of the handle equidistantly in opposite directions. In other words, my improved tamping bar terminates at one end in a tamping head which projects endwise of the bar.

The u per or rear portion of the head 6 referabfy gradually increases in width orwardly and projects equidistantly beyond opposite sides of the handle. Opposite side e ges 7 and 7 of the said rear portion of the head diverge therefrom forwardly and face laterally and rearwardly in opposite directions respectively.

The lower or orward portion of the head 6 decreases in width toward the forward end of the head, and hence opposite side edges 8 and of the said forward portion (liyl arranged atan obtuse an le to converge forwardly and face laterally in opposite directions respectively and forwardly but are s aced transversely or widthwise of the hea at the said end of the head so as to form a downwardly or forwardly facing transverse edge 10 between the forward ends of the said side edges. In other words, the tamping bar is provided at the forward end of its head 6 with an edge 10 which is arranged transversel of the bar and widthwise of the head, an the forward portion of the head gradually increases in width rearwardly from the said transverseedge, and consequently opposite side edges 8 and 8 of the said portion of the head extend and diverge rearwardly from opposite ends respectively of the said transverse edge. Preferably the side edges 8 and 8 of the forward portion of the head 6 are spaced at their rear ends about three times the'length of the transverse edge 7. Preferably the edges 8 and 10 of the forward portion of the head 6 are arranged at a right angle to the polygonal fiat faces 12 of the head.

During the operation ofthe tamping bar on railway-ballast composed of broken stone the tampin is effected by the transverse edge 10 an side edges 8 and 8 of the forward portion of the head, but the said side edges, facing laterally as well as downwardly or forwardly, not only participate in tamping the ballast but also operate to spread the ballast and facilitate the entrance of the head into the ballast.

A tamping bar having a tamping head provided with tam ing edges relatively arranged as hereinbe ore described is ca able of'operating with great facility an efliciency, and not unimportant is the peculiar shape of the head illustrated in facilitating the operation of the tamping bar under railway-ties of the bed of a railway.

What I claim is 1. A tamping bar for tamping railwayballast, which bar terminates at one end in a tamping head projecting endwise of the bar, which head at its forward end has a forwardly facing tampin edge arranged widthwise of the head, sai head havin its forward portion increased in width rom the said edge in the direction of the rear end of the head.

2. A tampin bar for tamping railwayballast, which ar terminates at one end 1n a tampin head projecting endwise of the bar, whic head at its forward end has a forwardly facing tainping edge arranged Widthwise of the head; said head having its forward portion gradually increasing in width rearwardly from the said edge and projecting substantially equidistantly laterally beyond opposite ends of the said edge.

3. A tamping bar for tainping railwayballast, which bar terminates at one end in a tamping head projecting endwise of the bar, which head at its forward end has a forwardly facing tamping edg'e arranged transversely or widthwise of the head, said head having two laterally and forwardly facing and rearwardly diverging tamping- 5. A tainping bar for tamping railwayballast, which bar terminates at one end in a Hat tamping head projecting endwise of the bar, which head is widest at a point intermediate its forward and rear ends and provided at its forward end with a forwardly facing edge which extends widthwise of the head, said head increasin in width rearwardly from opposite ends 0 the said edge.

6. A camping bar for tainp'in'g railwayballast, which bar terminates at one end in a fiat tainp'ing head projecting endwise' of the bar, which head is widest a suitable distance rearwardly of the forward end of the head and provided at its forward end and centrally between the side extremities of the head with a forwardly facing edge which extends widthwise of the head, said head gradually increasing in width rearwardly from opposite ends of thesaid edge.

In testimony whereof, I sign the foregoing Specification, in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE H. PRENTICE. Witnesses C. H. DoR'ER, B. C. BnoWN. 

